Dr. Cristofanilli was born in Italy and received his medical degree and Medical Oncology Fellowship from the University “La Sapienza” Medical School in Rome. He completed medical residency in NY and Medical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center then joining the faculty at the Breast Medical Oncology Department for more than a decade. He is the Founder and first Executive Director of the Morgan Welch IBC clinic and research program. He joined the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia as Chairman of Medical Oncology, then he served as Deputy Director of Translational Research at the SKCC before moving to Chicago to build an innovative Precision Medicine Program at the Robert H Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University. During his term as Professor of Medicine and the Associate Director of Translational Research and Precision Medicine the Institution underwent a successful Core grant renewal based on excellence in Translational Research and Precision Medicine.

In 2022, he joined the Weill-Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian as Professor of Medicine, Chief of Breast Medical Oncology and Associate Director of Precision Medicine at the Meyer Cancer Center. He is also the Scientific Director of The Englander Institute of Precision Medicine.

He is an accomplished board-certified medical oncologist with more than 2 decades of experience as physician, investigator, researcher, and visionary leader. He demonstrated original and innovative vision in the field of molecular diagnostics, liquid biopsy, translational research, and drug development. He has extensive background in clinical trial design and leadership in the field of metastatic and locally advanced breast cancer. He collaborated with several Industry partners contributing to the design of trials submitted for regulatory approval, including Pfizer (palbociclib), serving as co-PI of the PALOMA-3 study, a practice change trial in HR+ MBC. He is the past President of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB) and The Inflammatory Breast Cancer-International Consortium (IBC-IC). More importantly, he pioneered the clinical testing of CTCs in MBC leading a multicenter study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper was the first to demonstrate the prognostic value of liquid biopsy in solid tumors and it is currently recognized as major Milestone in Cancer Research. He continues to explore and investigate the clinical application of ctDNA and CTCs technologies to implement personalized monitoring and treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Prof Nicole McCarthy obtained her medical degree through the University of Queensland in 1990. She underwent her internal medicine and medical oncology training in Brisbane and was awarded her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1998. To further advance her academic career, A/Prof McCarthy joined the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD, USA) Medical Oncology Fellowship program from 1998 – 2001. During her fellowship her main interests included clinical trials and translational research investigating new drug treatments for breast cancer, in particular inflammatory breast cancer and anti-angiogenesis agents. She also completed a Masters in Health Sciences in Clinical Research through Duke University and her thesis focused on autologous stem cell transplant and immune reconstitution in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

A/Prof McCarthy spent two years in Auckland and was the recipient of the Breast Cancer Research Trust Fellowship Grant. A/Prof McCarthy returned to Brisbane in January 2006 and has remained focused on clinical trials research. A/Prof McCarthy is the Chair of the Breast Cancer Trials Medical Oncology Craft Group and is a member of their Scientific Advisory Committee.

Her other clinical and research interests include management of gynaecological cancers and sarcomas. A/Prof McCarthy sits on a number of national advisory boards and guideline groups and has a close involvement with several breast cancer consumer groups including the Kim Walter’s Choices Program and the Breast Cancer Network of Australia.

A/Prof McCarthy’s work has been published in leading journals and she is an investigator on several grants including NHMRC and Queensland Cancer Council. Since September 2009, A/Prof McCarthy has held a position as Associate Professor in Medicine with the University of Queensland.

Gary is a medical oncologist working at Redcliffe Hospital. He maintains a keen interest in nearly all tumour streams and naively still believes one can be a generalist medical oncologist and physician. He is fascinated by how we can maintain a sustainable health care system and is currently studying a Master of Health Economics. Outside of work he tries to cycle, gym, cook, bake, crochet amongst other things he doesn't really have time for.